Every once in awhile, I find a jewel in the rough - a tobacco I expected little from but that delivers exactly what I never knew I wanted. This is one of those gems. I traded for this tin a year or so ago and it had 4 years of age on it already. Having not (yet) smoked a fresh tin, I'm not sure what age did to it but since I have several more tins coming, I'm sure I'll find out!

Mostly tan ribbon with bits of black, and a tin nose of oriental up front and latakia firmly riding shotgun. Tobacco needed some drying time and it came wringing wet. But a couple of hours in the air was all it required. At lightup, the latakia was in the lead but subdued after just a few puffs when the orientals came out front and center. The latakia was always there but alternated for second chair with the sweet Virginias. I also wouldn't be surprised to find that a small amount of Cavendish is in here, but it could just be the VA's and orientals playing off one another. The best way to describe this is highly flavorful, smooth and mild. This is another one of those fantastic Scottish-type blends that I'm really enjoying, where the overall tone is of mildness but the flavor is zesty. Nowhere near overbearing. I call this blend Scottish because it has less of the latakia flavor of a standard English and more of the orientals, but neither is as robust as most Balkans. A lot of backbone here, but not heavy. I view GLP's Kensington as the Balkan "sister blend" to this one. Both are masterfully balanced, just in different styles. Skiff Mixture might be the "English" sister blend. At any rate, if you're excited about orientals and want them standing proudly in the lead, but also want some latakia, this is an excellent example and highly recommended.

Germain’s 1820’s pouch scent lets the smoker know that this is going to be an Oriental Virginia blend as the Lakakia component is in the background. This translates to the smoke itself too. The cut, common with a lot of Germain made blends is very thin ribbon which is something that I enjoy in many English blends. I find myself very much in agreement with DK’s review as I think he is dead on. Especially his comment on the comparison to Skiff as I think lovers of that blend will find a home here too. There is a zest to this blend that for me can border on sharpness, but never quite bites. Although, given the cut of the tobacco, I can see how some may find it to burn hot. 1820 IMO demands to be smoked slowly to get all that this blend has to offer. I will buck the tide a bit and say that I don’t pick up any topping here at all. If it is there, it is very, very lightly done. For me, what makes 1820 work is the masterful use of the Latakia in this blend. There is just enough there to round things out while letting the Virginias and Orientals star in the show. The last half of the bowl is where this blend really shines as it comes richer with each puff. The only thing that keeps this from being a four star blend for me is that there are other Oriental forward English blends that hold my interest more than 1820, especially the fuller flavored Smoker’s Haven “Exotique” also made by Germain. I tend to smoke bowls of 1820 in bunches then lose interest for a while. Ironically, this happens to me with Skiff Mixture as well. All in all though, this blend should receive more attention than it does.

Over the last four months or so I’ve noticed that, where once I smoked mostly English blends, now I'm smoking almost exclusively VAs, VA/Pers, and Oriental/VA blends.

Maybe I overdid it on the Latakia, maybe I've just finally found the cadence needed to enjoy the milder tasting blends. Either way I just haven't been as interested in smoking some of my old favourites. So today, recalling that it was fairly forward on VAs and Orientals, I loaded up some Eighteen Twenty and sat down with a nice hot cup of tea.

It’s exactly what I wanted, the VAs and Orienrals are definitely the stars, simultaneously sweet and umami, with the Lats providing a solid, creamy base. It also tastes like there might be some Cavendish in here, a sweetness that’s not coming from the VA, though it may be a topping.

Despite the high moisture content and cut, which is pretty close to a shag cut when it comes to the Virginia leaf, I didn't detect any bite. I was focusing pretty hard on sipping it slowly as to get the most out of the VAs, so I can't speak to how it behaves when not being paid attention to.

Overall this is a great blend, with each of the components complementing each other to create something complex and interesting, but not so full flavoured that you can't smoke more than one a day. Eighteen Twenty is definitely going back into my rotation.

This is one of Germain's staple blends that has been around for a very long time. And, for good reason... it is a classic blend that balances the Virginias, Orientals and Latakia to perfection. It is smooth as a baby's bottom from first light to last puff with no harshness or bitterness. I believe this is because of the Virginia leaf that displays a richness not often found in blends of this type.

My only complaint was the fact that this one comes wringing wet out of the tin and needed a few hours to dry before loading up. The added casing, whatever it is, complimented rather than detracted from this marvelous offering.

A well balanced mild to medium English where all the components play an integral part in the flavor. The Virginia is mildly sweet with grassy/hay notes, and sets the stage for the latakia's smokey sweet and woodsy qualities. The strength of the Oriental/Turkish varies as you smoke down to the end, always playing an important role. There is an additional sweet note coming from something, maybe the topping? Perhaps it's cavendish? Whatever it is, it pleasantly adds to the experience. Burns well once dried a little with cool evenness, and no dead spots in the flavor. A mixture well worth repeating during your smoking day.

As my very first smoke of any of Germain's tobaccos, I approached this with some trepidation, with little idea of what to expect. So time to dive in and find out what's what.

The tin aroma is a warm, oaky scent with hint soap. Lighting and packing are their mandatory ease for ribbon, surprise surprise. The smoke is much like the smell, but kicks it up a notch by adding a cigar like quality to it, almost like the taste of Henry Winterman's half coronas, tells me Germain's are using some good tobacco. The room note is along similar line.

On the whole then, a cracking smoke more than worthy of four stars. Bang on!

Presentation, well, not perfect. Sloppily stamped on cover - but that could also be deliberate to raise the cover somewhat to let you know what you're actually buying (the "death threat" sticker covers up the blend name otherwise). No big deal once it's peeled off and threwn in the trash where it belongs.

Inside the tin there's a tightly packed ribbon cut. The tin note is quite strange to my nose as well... some vinegar, peat and I also get the impression that it's been doused with sea water or something. I don't really know what to make of that, but I'm not exactly wild over the smell. Well, it should be noted that this strange smell dissipated somewhat after a few days and settled into something more in line of tobacco. But it's still quite unpleasant.

When smoked it strikes me as very sharp on the tongue, and also quite grating on the back of the throat. This harshness makes it quite difficult for me to distinguish the goings on with this blend. If there's anything jumping out a little it is the VA with turkish on the backend, latakia is not immediately evident to me. It doesn't last very long though and it quickly turns into something that makes me think of what burning rubber in a pipe might taste like, and the room note isn't much better either.

I'm only 3-4 bowls in as I write this, but honestly, I think that's enough to know that this is really not my cup of tea, and I really don't want to torture myself any longer with it either. Sorry, but this is just terrible - so much so that I'm starting to think that there must be something wrong with this tin, because it seems to be so far from what nearly all other reviews describe, but it's highly unlikely I'll ever get another tin to find out one way or the other.

I really can't find any redeeming qualities here. This is just awful from top to bottom.

Update, October 2016: This stuff just keeps getting better with time! And the way to slow the burn is (duhhh...) to pack it snug in the bowl to begin with, at least once it's rested and dried some. It's so civilized!

Update, June, 2015: 6 months rest in a jar has perfected my remaing stash of 1820, so please keep this in mind if you read my original review. Once this tobacco has rested, the extremely mild topping becomes an asset and the tastes meld and unwind in interesting ways throughout the smoke. Still no good way to significantly slow the burn, and more's the pity because this stuff is a very relaxing taste treat while it lasts, also a nice respite from stronger Balkan-y English blends, being in this akin to SG's Skiff Mixture. The Orientals are slightly musty, with "exotic" rather than "hot" spices, the VAs are flue and air cured as well as stoved, the Lat is nice and plain, and the lot sours off like aged Balkan Sobranie of Old as it is smoked down. Plenty of smoke, by the way. Very Nice. Thus, I am pleased to up-rate 1820 to a well-deserved 4 stars. PS: Because of the way its VAs have developed, I now suspect that 1820 is a prime candidate for in-tin aging ahead of subsequent rest in a jar.

Original review: IMO, Germain’s Eighteen Twenty smells good enough to eat from the tin, like warm, buttered oatmeal, along with the smoky Latakia and just a drop of old, dry Sherry. Though the packed, variegated ribbons are quite moist to start, it lights easily and smokes down very fast right from the tin. Twice now I have really enjoyed the first bowl I’ve smoked straight from a fresh tin, and it struck me as delightfully well balanced, albeit it's gone in 60 seconds. Unfortunately, I have not consistently enjoyed subsequent bowls as much as the first bowl from each of two tins. At its best 1820 reminds me of Skiff Mixture, but with less developed Turkish, and its bright VAs are more forward, with high quality, "plain" Latakia always present but never in the fore, apart from the first few puffs. The odd bowl or parts of odd bowls aside, however, 1820 tends to muddle up on me, and it often exhibits a slightly acrid quality that IMO does not serve this particular blend. The tobaccos seem to be of high quality, with excellent, “traditional” processing, and I think my problems with it may be a matter of personal chemistry; I don’t know. Along this line of thinking, 1820 also sports a very mild topping (tonquin?) that gets unpleasant for me the minute I start to taste it. Ironically, I always enjoy the sweet, lingering aftertaste. Strength is more mild than medium. Tastes are more medium than mild. Room note is “pleasant” – for a “Turkish” blend.

A “2” from me means I think this is quality tobacco, and I can see where others might appreciate this blend, but I won’t likely buy more, especially since there are so many pipe tobaccos I enjoy and can also count on. All considered, I’d give Eighteen Twenty a 2.4 if I could.

Eighteen Twenty . A very pleasant smoke ! The ribbon cut is very even , with all pieces the same size and not erratic like some can be. It holds a very good moisture level , ready to go without any airing time . Upon lighting I was greeted with a truly exceptional full flavour which is a beautiful mix of the different tobaccos but splendidly balanced so you can detect them all without any flavours outweighing the others . Nicotine content is about that of Rattrays 3 Noggins , as is the taste somewhat but unlike the 3 Noggins it isn't spoilt by bite for me . Room note is splendid and my wife branded it "about the most traditional smell yet"! An even burn with cigar like ash that stays lit well . A very good smoke that I will get again ! .

This is a top notch Balkan blend. Orientals out front with the Latakia not too far behind. The Virginias provide a modest amount of sweetness. All week I've been smoking both 1820 and Balkan Sobranie, back to back, in order to make a comparison and noticed that the Orientals are very similar. In fact I think they're the same. Could be mistaken though. 1820 has a pinch more Latakia. BS has more body and sweetness. As far as quality and consistency go I find 1820 to be equal to BS, in other words, superb. I think I like both equally. With 1820 being more readily available and not limited in the number of tins one can purchase I have to give it the edge. I do wish it had a little more body though.

OATMEAL!!! This is one of the finest English mixtures on the market. It tastes like oatmeal.The latakia is present as a supporting element in this blend. It is really the orientals that take center stage here. A very nutty and naturally sweet blend.I smoke mostly very interesting English blends that tend to be heavy on the Latakia.This one joins the ranks but on the milder side.A very smooth,cool,and naturally sweet smoke with no tongue bite. A very similar blend is Wilke's Pipemaker's Choice.If the appeal of sweet vitginias and orientals appeal to you try this.

This is an excellent choice for those who DO NOT want a Latakia bomb. I'm hard put to decide if this is a light English or a light Balkan. In either case it is an ideal entrance to either of these blend styles. The latakia in particular is a background for the orientals and the virginia's add just the right amount of sweetness for a virginia or VaPer smoker to comfortably enter the English or Balkan blends. I, as others, found this overly moist upon opening the tin so I dumped it into a mason jar and left it there for a week. A bit of zing so puff slowly. I have intentionaly not compared this directly with the tobaccos I listed as similar they are there only to let you know if you like one of them then you just might like this as well. Happy smoking to all and to all a good night pipe!

A very nice blend, if very 'medium' -- strength, taste, and in the amount of Latakia. I wouldn't have minded a bit stronger Oriental flavor, but this is a satisfying smoke. It came a bit wet, but dried out to the right level quickly and stayed there, leaving only some very stained paper and a bit of rust. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is yes.

I was in the mood for a mild English smoke and having enjoyed the other blend I sampled from this stable I decided to see if Germain's had something to suit my needs. If they do, it ain't this one!

I would dearly love to add my voice to the paeans of praise for this blend, but I simply don't get it. Having smoked nothing else for the past few days I am consistently dissappointed at the complete lack of flavour. Every so often I think that the orientals or virginas are going to reveal themselves, but 9 times out of 10 what actually pokes through the miasma of blandness is the utterly execrable topping that not only spoils the smoke but is still identifiable in the room the next morning. Another reviewer has mentioned Iodine. After racking my brains I have realised that it reminds me of the flavour I would encounter in my school days when we were flicking ink with our fountain pens and some of it got into my mouth (yes I was a rebellious child - probably why I grew up to be a pipe smoker).

To compound the misery created by this woeful weed I have contracted a nasty case of tongue bite in my vain attempts to extract a morsel of pleasing taste, but even when I concentrate on smoking gently I still find it to be lacking in smoothness.

I have rated the room note as 'tolerable' because there isn't an option for 'mild yet persistent and nasty'.

In my search for a mild English that I can enjoy this is definitely not the answer. I think that I might give SG Skiff Mixture another try. In the parlance of my trendier friends - 'epic fail'.

Refined with character, for those who enjoy English blends tilted toward Latakia and Oriental tobaccos, but still want a notable Virginia presence in that order. One of the world's great English blends in my estimation.

I recently added some lightly sweetened black Cavendish to 1820 and had the immediate impression of smoking Dunhill MM 965 in its better days, before Murray lost control of the quality.

1820 was a pleasant surprise for me. The tin aroma suggested LATAKIA!!!! In reality, the Latakis was prominent but did not dominate the other components. This loaded easily, took the match readily, and burned cleanly with only the modicum of attention. The flavor seemed to catch Latakia here, then some Virginia, then some Oriental. Smoked smmoth and cool. Left a pale gray ash and a dry pipe. If variety during a days smoking is whet you are looking for, look no further. While possibly too intense for the beginner or the aromatic lover, the English/Balkan lover might fond this a great addition to the tobaco rotation. Very Highly Recommended.

Preface: I have been smoking Dunhill Standard Mixture Medium for near-on 30 years, believing that it has no equal anywhere on earth. But it is gone now, and so I begin a quest for my Holy Grail: A substitute to replace the standard on which all English tobaccos are based:

1820 is an English tobacco with a slight emphasis on Orientals. Other reviews stating a blend where nothing "jumps out" and a monochromatic experience are largely correct. The first 1/3 of the bowl is best, where it is actually quite good. But working down the Orientals begin to assert a mild harshness while at the same time the Virginias fail to achieve their inherent richness. The tobacco is properly moist, with a perfect burn. Not a great English for English fans, Balkan fans might miss complexity. It does have an "interesting" flavoring or casing, which I find neither good nor off-putting. Perhaps it grows on one with time.

I bought a tin of this today, the first I have purchased of this blend since 2001. It is differs quite a bit from the blend of six years ago. Some of the differences are pleasant; others, less-so.

Most, if not all, of the differences might be the result of aging in the tin. The tobaccos were much darker than I remember, the indefinable casing less noticeable upon opening, the paper wrapping had turned uniformly brown.

As to the tobacco itself, there is nothing here to write home about; it is merely a passably respectable English blend with distinctly Oriental character, a mellow tobacco. "Mellow" is an adjective that cuts both ways; it is laudable when applied to a well-aged Single Malt Scotch; applied to Olivia Newton John...it is synonymous with "uninspired."

Let us say that 1820 is the Olivia Newton John of Germain's line. For the money, one can do quite a bit better...King Charles or any of Germain's Esoterica Line have it all over 1820...hands down.

Esoterica light! Same stringy ribbon cut. Same tightly packed density. Same underlying top dressing. This is 'And So to Bed' without as much licorice/anise topping. You can also call it 'Pembroke Super Light'. The tin reminds me a little of Old Overholt Rye Whiskey, which I enjoy a lot more. This is an English with Stella Doro biscotti thrown in.

Leave it alone, unless of course, you enjoy biscuits with your tobacco.

This blend smells like peat moss when you first open the tin, but don't be put off. It is an excellent midrange Balkan/English blend. It has an earthy flavor that keeps me wanting more from time to time. It is not a complex blend but has an earthy monochromatic flavor all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I keep a tin of this on hand always and go back to it from time to time for something different. It is a good blend to recommend to first timers to non aromatics. Update: 06-15-2004 I just opened a tin from 1996 and let me tell you, this is a keeper. Quality tobacco ages well and this blend definitely has it. It has mellowed somewhat and the VA component has given it a sweet note that pleasantly pops in while you are smoking it.The Latakia is there, but not overbearing. A true classic English/Balkan blend.

1820 has turned into one of my favorite English blends. No one part of the blend sticks out (like latakia), but on the whole it is nicely balanced. Not too strong to be in all day smoke. I find myself reaching for the tin more often.

I picked-up a tin of this after reading a favorable review in P&T and I'm glad I did. After smoking a lot of virginia and light english blends lately I decided that I needed a little more of a latakia kick. As it turns out this is exactly what I was in the mood for!

Opening the tin reveals a brick of long ribbon wrapped in some sort of silver mylar. I found the wrapping a bit disturbing since it seemed as though some of the metal had come off of the plastic. I immediately discarded the plastic and deposited the tobacco back in the tin.

The tobacco has a sort of bizarre musty, yet somewhat fruity, smell which I find interesting. It packs easily and lights up well, though I seem to have a harder time than usual keeping this stuff lit. Allowing it to dry out a little before smoking seems to have fixed this though. The taste seems like an ideal blend of spicy, salty, and a little sweet.

While I'm not completely blown away by this, it is exactly what I was in the mood for at the moment and I'm sure I'll reach for it again.

The first time I tried this, I was sure there was a clove casing. The clovey smell has dissipated over time, though, so it was probably just the orientals outgassing the various fermentation byproducts they developed in the tin.

This one was quite good. There is something distinctive in the flavor, one of the orientals I expect, that I can't quite identify but is nonetheless quite tasty (when this stuff was freshly opened it was sort of clovey as well, but with some exposure to air this has moderated along with the cloveyness in the tin aroma).

The first half of the bowl is slightly tilted towards the latakia, but this changes during the bowl so that by the end the orientals have more of a role. However, they never dominate to the extent that the blend becomes unpleasant. This is an interesting medium blend that IMHO nicely bridges between the oriental-heavy style (e.g. Pelican), and the latakia-heavy style (Penzance).

This was a nicely balanced blend, with a fair bit of complexity and nice interplay between the orientals and latakia. A bit sweet, but nicely done nonetheless.

I quit smoking cigarettes going on 3 years and pipes and cigars went with it. In order to keep off the butts I did turn to using snus which is in my mouth every waking moment of my day I find. So take this in to consideration when I say I didn't find a lot of nicotine in this blend. I have tried this before years ago and did not like it. Someone said it tasted of oatmeal? Well it didn't then and certainly does not now after 6 years. I cracked the seal on the tin and found that it did still smell of musty tobacco. The paper wrapper was almost brown. Moisture was perfect at almost dried out but still sticks together when pressed between the fingers. I used a straight billard meer everytime I went to this. Light up is easy and the first half was clearly VA dominant with the orientals just poking through. The latter half the oriental start to take over with what seems to be a nice burley like grassiness putting its head up once in a while. Strength did progress as the bowl burned down. No gurgle, no bite. What a wonderfull experience. My rating is based on the fact that I did try this as a newly opened fresh tin and this one as a newly opened 6 year old tin. The fresh tin wouldn't have gotten a single star from me, but this would have gotten 5 stars with an aged tin. The fresh tins I did have had to blended with aromatics to get rid of them. Maybe they should age it like whisky and not sell the tins untill they had 3 years on them. Oh well...buy a couple tins and cellar them and you will see why I enjoyed this one so much.

I struggled with whether to give this one three or four stars. My rating might change once I buy a tin and smoke more of this stuff, but for now I give it three. Oh yes, and worth noting, especially if you're like me and you like English blends with fairly high nicotine, this one satisfies pretty well in that category. The cool, mild smoke is deceiving in that way, but I definitely noticed the presence of Lady N in this one.

So, I am in Asheville, NC, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is the only place outside of Alaska that I've ever lived, and it's a very beautiful place full of great people, for the most part. One of the men who hangs out and works at the tobacconist here (B&B Tobacconists, blender of the famed Beck's Ol' Limey Bastard) smokes 1820 exclusively, and he always has several tins on hand. Well, he knows that I like English mixtures because I'm always saying so, and so he gives me some 1820 to try because he wanted me to try it, and because he's just a great guy. I packed a bowl out of his tin in my Neerup 1/2 bent sort-of-Dublin, my current favorite pipe.

Well, this stuff is pretty much a shag cut, very thin ribbons that pack very easily and light just as easily. It burns very evenly and produces a fine, white-grey ash. The taste is not dominated by any particular one of the tobaccos, but they are all there and noticeable. I particularly like the Orientals they use in this blend, very fine stuff that really balances it out.

One of my favorite things about this stuff, and one of the first things I noticed, is that it burns extremely cool. The smoke, even the stuff that you get upon lighting the bowl, is very cool and not the least bit harsh. You can just tell that this is quality stuff, as if the name "Germain" on the front didn't tell you that in the first place.

Again, this may well be a four-star tobacco, but I just want to smoke more of it before I can feel comfortable giving that rating. Right now, consider it 3.5 stars, and a possible upgrade to 4 once I get my hands on some and run a few more bowls through my pipe. Try it in something with a fairly deep bowl and straight walls, it burns well in that type of pipe. Or maybe it's just how fantastic my Neerup is. :D Enjoy, folks!

I have smoked a lot of English blends and I like many of them. I don't expect the Earth to move when I try one that I have not smoked before. 1820 is not new, but I had not tried it before. I'm familiar with Germain tobaccos so I knew this would be a quality blend. When I opened the tin I found the aroma musty and unappealing unlike Royal Jersy that has the familiar English blend aroma that I love. 1820 was nicely cut in ribbons, but wet and in need of some drying out. Once lit the flavor was very nice. It tasted of Orientals, Latakia, and Virginia tobaccos. The blend was smooth without any harshness. From beginning to end I completely enjoyed the flavor. My pipe ended and I wanted more so I took another pipe, another Castello, and filled it up. Again the 1820 was delightful. This is not a Latakia powerhouse, but a smooth medium strength English that can be enjoyed from morning till the last pipe of the day. I enjoy Three Oaks Syrian very much and place 1820 on an even footing with it. If you don't like 1820 you don't like traditional English blends. Five stars out of Five.

I must confess. This is a blend I bought, tried, hated, and put away in my box of forgotten tins. The other day I was shuffling through my pipes and tins, and came across it, having forgotten it all together. I popped it open and inhaled the smoky latakia, and I got the urge to fire it up. I loaded it up in a Big Ben Fantasia billiard and an ancient Kaywoodie rhodesian. After being allowed to sit for a year, opened and then closed as tightly as possible, the moisture level was just right, it lit easily, and burned cool. It would occasionally require a relight, but that isn't a big deal to me, it kept me from over heating the bowl.....which I admit I am very guilty of when I really like something. Clean white/grey ash is all it left behind, dry as a bone in the bottom of the bowl and nary a gurgle all day. The flavors stay bright and consistent from light to heel and the volume of smoke is just right. No bite, no overdose of wood smoke from the latakia, and just enough sweetness coming of the Virginias to play off the symphony of nutty, woodsy notes that dance around in this blend. Another plus for me was that even though I had one of THOSE smoking days,the one where you over smoke the 2 pipes you brought with you, after knocking off a total of 8 or 9 bowls didn't leave me bored, or with that too much vitamin N feeling. What I did find interesting is the amount of cake this blend build in the course of a day! If you have a new pipe you plan to devote to latakia blends, this one will help you get it broken in and caked up quickly!

I bought this on a whim because nothing on the label tells you anything about it other than that it is made in England. I had no idea if this was an aromatic, a virginia / perique or a latakia heavy english tobacco. I opened the tin and the contents were somewhat soggy which I found surprising for an English tobacco. I sniffed the contents and thought I detected some casings - but couldn't be sure. A strong waft of iodine suggested a lowland or isle scotch whiskey. The smell was complex and effulgent. I chose my Corn Cob for the smoke. I loaded up a bowl outside the tobacco store where I bought it and lit it up. LATAKIA!!!!! Screamed the first draw. I was able to hear little else in the chorus of flavors due to a slightly sour taste in this blend that so haunted my palette that I had bad dreams about smoking it again last night. Tasted so bad it gave me nightmares.

It took about five lights to get it going, and the result was sour and moist - like the steam from a campfire when somebody pees on it. As the bowl progressed, this sour effect fell into the background, but the wet stuff refused to smoke cool.

I felt very aware of my environmental footprint as I strolled along the waterfront carefully directing my puffs away from families with baby strollers and accusing faces. It did not appear to sweeten the air about me overmuch.

When this stuff did burn, it rendered into a fine gray ash and left little in my pipe. At some points it would cool a little and a few other flavors could creep in, but the Latakia in this is simply overwhelming and the moisture in the tin - seemingly preserved by the cellophane wrapping around the tobacco brick therein, created a singularly foul smoke I'll not repeat.

Somehow sweet scented but peppery taste... Not bad tobacco for any time of day. Since its quality is superior, it is good for inexperienced smokers because it burns steadily and slowly. However in taste it does not leave any exceptional mark in memory.

Although VERY hard to light right out of the tin since it's very wet. 1820 has something interesting happen to it towards the end..... The flavor changes suddenly. It goes from nothing really to write home about (except for slight hints of coffee at the start until the tobacco dries out some), to a mellow yet COMPLEX smoke that's very pleasant yet rich on the palate without being overpowering at the same time. Very interesting blend. The aftertaste also somewhat changes flavor, from slightly peppery (in a good way), to more of a mellow after coffee taste (a good cup of espresso).

I've just had to light up a bowl of this, having previously smoked a bowl of Highland Sliced Flake, (I still can't imagine what made me do that, it's not as though I'd been drinking or anything) anyway, 1820 managed to get rid of the awful taste of HS, truly a saviour in my hour of need. Although I would not say this is a remarkable tobacco by any means, it is still a good honest English, as noted by others, I find it very similar, but not quite the same as Sam gawith's Commonwealth mixture.

A ribbon cut mixture with the orientals and Latakia quite well balanced giving a pleasant and reasonably interesting smoke.

I love English and Latakia in the cold weather and although this may never enter rotation, not even in the winter, wwere I looking for Commonwealth Mix and none were available, but this were to hand, I would most certainly buy it.

This is what it is. A good change on the palate for Full Bodied Balkan lovers seeking a little cleansing of the palate. It's not meant to be a Latakia powerhouse, nor the greatest blend ever, but a nice change of pace for the lover of strong Oriental/Latakia blends. It is not complex, but has its own character and has fine tobaccos that marry well together. It is medium strength with mild to medium flavor and room note presence. With that expectation set, it will not let you down.

1820 - Beautiful sticker on a similar tin that Samuel Gawith uses for SL and Commonwealth Mixture. Anyway...what we have here is a truly mild English blend that though comes rather moist stays lit. Though the Latakia is tasted its a balanced doesage of it. This might be an ok blend for those looking to break into English blends although I recommed Frog Morton On The Town for that. Nevertheless a really quality smoke. This tin will be reserved for smoking when I am doing yard work and the such. Nothing too special here.

I love the quality of the tobacs coming from Germain. Always high quality leaf with good aging.

1820 is a tasty mild English. The tin aroma is traditional English with a bit of that Germain (or Esoterica) fermentation. Not too heavy on the Orientals.

The cut is a fairly thin ribbon. Again similar to the Esoterica tobacs. While moist, it was easy to pack and light. Burned to a clean dry ash.

The flavor is very mild and I agree wholeheartedly that 1820 has a touch of natural sweetness, much like Wilke's Pipemakers Choice or to a lesser degree Dunhill's 965. I very much like this style of tobacco (English with hints of sweetness). Is it cased? Perhaps, but I think the sweetness mainly comes from the flue-cured leaf.

If you like mild English tobacs with a bit of sweetness you should try this. If you are a Balkan vampire - or want a big nicotine hit - then stay away. This tobacco might also appeal to aromatic smokers looking to try an English tobacco.

Notes: My review is based on an older tin, dating from 1985, so please take this into consideration when reading. Smoked in various pipes, I found this best in my Castello apple.

Appearance: A heterogeneous medium to thick cut ribbon of light golden to darker brown with a few black strands thrown in. All in all a very pleasing multi-tonal blend of tobacco leaves.

Aroma: In the tin it is mildly sweet, smelling strikingly of freshly made oatmeal and brown sugar. Gentle and honeyed with just a hint of allspice, it promises to give a gentle contemplative and relaxing smoke.

Taste: 1820 lit quite easily with a single match; I was immediately struck by how hotly this burned, despite an appropriate moisture content. The flavor is surprisingly different from what the aroma might lead you to expect. There is a very subtle and pleasing flavor of oatmeal which lurks in the background of this blend, loosely unifying its flavor pastiche. It may be that fresher tins present a more seamless picture, as older tins like this sometimes begin to lose cohesion after a few decades.

Nevertheless, I found the oatmeal flavor more prominent in the aftertaste rather than in the smoking itself. After I had finished a bowl, I was surprised to find the flavor of oatmeal upon my palate lingering. This leads me to believe it has to do with the Oriental leaf, as these have a tendency to pervade the gums and lips with their flavors, affecting the flavors of everything else you taste during the remainder of the day. For this reason, I would not recommend 1820 as a bowl to start off your day.

The Virginia flavor is largely diminished and subdued in this blend and it is not at all sweet to my perception. It burns hot however and rather harshly. I did not detect any inordinate amount of tongue or throat irritation with this blend ? rather the flavor is harsh and crude, as one might expect from a rougher cut tobacco, for example. Instead, the predominant flavor is that of the latakia, although this is not overbearing in any sense of the word. More plainly said, this blend seems to have little if any flavor, and what little flavor it does have is that of smoke and charcoal with a hint of cloves and allspice.

If this were a smoother smoking mixture, it would be a very mild and relaxing smoke; but as it stands after several bowlfuls, I find it has remained steadfastly harsh to the point of getting in the way of the flavor. As a result, 1820 tends to paint a relatively simplistic, uncomplicated picture, uniform from the start to the finish of the bowl. There is little dottle and slightly less that the average amount of pipe gurgle, easily remedied by a few passes with the pipe cleaner. A gentler mixture which has similar flavors but is a bit more reflective owing to the lack of harshness is indeed Carol Burns? ?Pipemaker?s Choice? from Pipeworks and Wilke.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a plain, old-fashioned extremely mild-flavored blend with a whisper of Latakia and Oriental in it, and don?t mind a harsh burning smoke in the mouth and throat, this may be the blend for you.